An American Witch:
by KeeperxofxShadows
Summary: This is the first chapter of my newest story. Please let me know what you think. Thanks.


:An American Witch:

Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating everything in an electric blue sheen.

Screams of thunder resonated through the air, shaking the windows in the nearby houses.

The winds howled mercilessly, drowning out any other sound.

A flicker of movement flashed in between the light of the street lamp. A lone figure crept through this neighborhood, keeping to the shadows in between the streetlights. Pausing, she looked up at the sky as another scream of thunder sounded. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and tucked it into the hood of her jacket. Zipping up her jacket, she pulled her hood up over her face as an onslaught of rain fell upon her. Laughing blackly, she crept onward.

She took the sudden storm as a sign as to what would be. A sign showing her that there would be hell to pay when she arrived home.

She straightened as she reached the lawn of the biggest house on the block. Sighing, she walked up the sidewalk and up the front porch. She braced herself quickly, steeling herself against pain that would come quickly from her father. Pushing open the door silently, she crept inside, trying to make herself as small as possible.

As she reached the stairs, her father appeared in front of her. Within moments, he pushed her roughly into the living room. She stumbled slightly and crashed into one of the side tables next to the couch. The table fell sideways, causing the porcelain lamp and dish of seashells to scatter onto the floor. Her attacker stormed into the room, shoving things out of the way with a sledgehammer he must have had at the ready for when she came home. Pulling her legs out of the way, she narrowly avoided having her legs broken in several places.

Her father cursed at the gaping hole in the floor, but left the sledgehammer there. Stumbling slightly, he followed the girl around the room. He reached for her hair, growling as she slipped away. Cursing, he lunged at her, narrowly missing her by millimeters.

She stopped a few feet away from him, watching as he groaned and picked himself up off the floor. Hesitating, she stepped forward, her arm raised as if to comfort him. He looked over at her, a malicious grin contorting his face. Without a second's hesitation, he grabbed her outstretched arm and pulled her to him roughly. He laughed as she struggled and carried her into the basement.

Leaving her there, after tying and gagging her, he went upstairs. Moments later, a loud crack could be heard and heavy steps on the stairs as he came back down to her. Grinning down at her, he flicked off the lights and crossed over to her still form on the futon bed. All that could be heard was the man's heavy breathing as he readied himself and the girls last words, "You're a sick bastard." There was a scream as he slammed the sledgehammer onto her arm, and a sharp intake of breathe as he inserted himself.

.:The Beginning:.

She quietly shut her bedroom door and crossed the thick, black carpeting, softening her steps as she made her way to the dark purple haven across the room. She sat down gingerly and laid back for a second. At first, it was heaven in the form of satin and silk sheets, but it quickly transformed to knives stabbing through her. She gasped in pain, falling off the bed in the process. Crumpled on the floor, she lifted her head slightly, only to come face-to-face with her reflection. She winced involuntarily, and looked back at the girl in front of her. A girl she had become all too familiar with. One who wasn't there before her dad became a drunk. Her usually pale and flawless face was adorned with black, blue, and purple bruises. Her reddish-gold eyes had lost their usual fire, and her silky black hair was coarse and clotted together with blood. Her cheeks and neck had been cut in various places, courtesy of the knife her father kept at his belt.

She positioned her good arm so that she could some what sit up, and hopefully stand. Pushing up, trying as hard as she could not to press too hard on the bruises and, even more careful with her left arm, which was broken and useless from what she could tell, she got part way into a sitting position before the pain erupted throughout her body. Whimpering, she began shaking uncontrollably. She dropped back down to the crumpled position from moments before. Screaming, her body touched the floor. It began convulsing, dragging her kicking and screaming to a dark, comforting place that stood before her like a dark lake, speaking of a time without pain. She stepped forward, placing one of her feet into the dark, cool water. Instantly, the pain vanished, the water numbing it instantly. Regretfully, she withdrew her foot and returned to the onslaught of pain that returned as she walked away from the safety it provided. The pain came back worse than before as she opened her eyes.

_Fine,_ she thought, _if it's going to be like this, I'm going back to that haven that takes away the pain and leaves me with a promise of painless sleep. Who would think to resist that?_ With that question in her mind, she stepped back towards the dark pool, diving in under the dark waters.

Now unconscious, she was unaware of the war raging on below between her mother and her father…

"I am just about fed up with you beating Alex like that!! I'm sick and tired of seeing her limping around, nursing a broken arm, or looking into the eyes of my emotionless daughter!! Do you have any idea how badly it hurts me to see that and not do anything about it? We're leaving as soon as she gets better. And don't even think about coming to find us, you sick bastard," Arabella shouted. As she turned away, Ryan grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him.

"Arabella, you two can't leave. You are my life, Alex also. If you leave, what am I going to do?"

"If you wanted us to stay, you wouldn't have been a drunk in the first place. If you wanted us to stay, you would have stopped beating Alexiel every time someone pissed you off. Now, tell me why we shouldn't leave." She watched, amusement written on her face as she watched Ryan stammer with an answer. She laughed as she climbed the stairs. Laughing at the fact he couldn't find an answer, that all his quick remarks were nowhere to be seen.

Reaching Alexiel's bedroom door, she sighed before opening it. Looking inside, which was fairly difficult seeing as Alex disliked any kind of bright light in her room, she tried to discern Alex's body amidst the dark forms scattered across her floor.

"Alex?" she called softly, wishing for an answer. Disappointed when no reply came, she stepped inside, stepping lightly among the bunch of clothes here and there. As she reached the bed across the room, she tripped over something solid. Something _human_. A disgruntled groan came from the thing she tripped over, causing Arabella to gasp when she realized she had stepped on her daughter. "Alex?" she cried, grabbing the body of her daughter tightly in her arms, squishing Alexiel against her. A painful moan escaped Alex as she moved slightly.

Arabella looked over to one of the lamps, causing it to turn on automatically. She looked down at Alex as the light washed over them, noticing the bruises and cuts that adorned her entire body. She gasped loudly, and gathered Alex into her arms and fled out of the room, past an agitated Ryan, and outside. She set Alexiel down beside her and raised her right arm. Right on time, the Knight Bus came screeching down the road, stopping abruptly in front of her. The doors opened and she bent down to pick up Alex when Stan stepped down and gathered her up in his arms. He stepped onto the Bus, Arabella following behind silently.

"What happened this time, Ara?" Stan asked as he set Alexiel onto one of the brass beds towards the back. Arabella grimaced at her old nickname, but sat down and told Stan everything. When she finished, he whistled, slightly bemused as to why Ryan would do this to his daughter. "The hospital, I suppose, right Ara?" She nodded, turning back to Alex.

"Alex," she whispered, fingering her daughter's long black hair, "please pull through this. Please. If not for me, then for the life ahead of you." She sighed, smoothing back Alex's hair.

"Take 'er away, Ern," Stan said, sitting next to Ern in a big armchair. There was a tremendous BANG as the bus jolted into movement. Ten minutes later, they were in front of Abilene Regional. Arabella got up, hugging Stan and Ern as she passed them. Stan blushed, and Ern just nodded.

Stepping out of the bus, she ran into the ER, calling a bunch of doctors to her, telling them her daughter was waiting on a bus outside, unconscious and bleeding. They jumped into action, running outside to get Alexiel before she got worse. Racing, they ran into room, making sure that Arabella couldn't get inside. They began checking her for any broken bones and infections. Noticing her left arm was twisted in a way an arm was never meant to twist, the quickly set to work.

Arabella stepped forward, trying to see into the room without avail. A guard turned to her and said, "I'm sorry, miss, but you have to wait until the doctors are done. If you would go wait in the waiting room, now." He nodded to the doors at the other end of the hall. She nodded sadly and turned to go wait.

Two hours later, a doctor came in, looking sullenly around the room, trying to spot the person he was looking for. Giving up, he went over to the speaker and said, "Arabella Taylor? I need to speak with you." Arabella sighed as she got up from her seat and made her way over to the doctor who was waiting patiently by the doors leading into the ER.

He nodded grimly at her and headed into the ER hallway. She followed quickly, quietly, anxious to know how Alexiel was doing. "Is she alright?" she asked impatiently, not liking how the doctor had kept silent the entire time, even after they had stopped.

He sighed then opened and closed his mouth for a few minutes before clearing his throat. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Taylor, but we aren't sure if Alexiel is going to pull through this. We don't know how long she has. We were thinking of sending her upstate to a hospital in Lubbock. I'm sorry, but there's nothing else we can do for her hear." With that, he walked away, leaving Arabella in shock.


End file.
